The present invention relates to fishing tackle and, more particularly, to fishing rod handles.
Many types of fishing rod handles have been devised which attempt to give the user greater flexibility in the positioning of his hand relative to the rod and reel combination, and which attempt to provide greater accuracy and a more natural "feel" to the act of casting. For example, the Taggart et al. U.S. Pat. No. 2,711,292 shows a fishing rod handle having an elongate portion aligned with the rod shaft and shaped to be grasped by the hand of the user, and a fishing reel attached to the rear of the handle by an arcuate shank, which positions the reel below and to the rear of the handle. While the user of a fishing rod having that handle has a relatively long and unobstructed length of handle to grasp, the fishing rod requires a specially designed reel and arcuate connecting shank, so that the choice of reels usable with such a rod handle is severely limited.
Another type of fishing rod handle is shown in the Magnus U.S. Pat. No. 3,296,732. That fishing rod handle is L-shaped, having an elongate section oriented parallel to the rod shaft and adapted to seat a fishing reel of the open bail type, and a hand grip attached to the rear of the elongate section and oriented perpendicular to it. A disadvantage of this type of rod handle design is that the user is somewhat limited in the positioning of his hand on the elongate section, since the reel attaches to the underside of it and therefore presents an obstruction.
A disadvantage inherent in both of the aforementioned rod handles is that the casting characteristics of the rod and handle can be adversely affected by the selection of a particular reel. Selection of a reel which is relatively heavy or light may shift the overall center of gravity of the system to a location along the rod shaft or handle such that the act of casting imparts undesirable torques to the rod shaft and handle which tends to decrease the accuracy of the cast.
Accordingly, there is a need for a fishing rod handle which provides a variety of unobstructed locations for a user to place his hands relative to the rod shaft and reel. There is also a need for a fishing associated rod handle which is designed to provide a more natural and yet a more powerful casting action. There is also a need for a fishing rod handle which is sufficiently flexible to accommodate a wide variety of standard fishing reel designs and sizes, without sacrificing the accuracy of a cast or the natural "feel" of the rod and reel as a combined casting system.